Asparagus-cutting machine



Dec. 23, 1930. L. D. STOPPEL ASPARAGUS CUTTING MACHINE Filed April 29, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. We .0. INF/Y1 A TTORNEY.

Dec. 23, 1930. L. D. STOPPEL ASPARAGUS CUTTING MACHINE a Filed April 29, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 2 m m m N 1 L01!!! D. SIUPPEL ATTORNEY.

Dec. Z3, 1930. L. D. STOPPEL 1,785,795

ASPARAGUS CUTTING MACHINE Filed April 29, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet s -I l I I I l I N V EN TOR.

1001f A I YDPPF L v A TTORNE Y.

' PatenteclDec. 23,1930 v i 1 I j i g-ygfn STATES PATENT OFFICE I LOUIS'D. s'roI PEL, or IsLE'roN, CALIFORNIA I AsrAnAeus-ourrme MACHINE A Application filedApril 29, 1927. Serial ire-P187543.

1 ziThis invention relates to an asparagus cutporting members 3 are chain wheels 5, over I 1 tingmachinewherein'is provided means for which extend endless flexible chains 6. The

' cutting asparagus stems into a plurality of outersurface of each of the chains 6 is proparts. p VlClBCl wltha plurality of PIOJGCtlIlg lugs 7, 51 Z Anobj ect of my invention is toprovide an Which serve to assist in conveying theasparaasparagus cutting machine adapted to cut the gus' stems: from the hopper 4 to the rearjpart A tips from asparagus stems. ,of'the machlne. .7 Another ob'ect of my invention is togpro-' Secured to revolvable shafts 8 whlch are :vidfea machine having means for automatimounted on the supportlng members 3 ad1a- 10 cally conveying a quantity of asparagus stems cent the top end of the front legs '1, are chain 59 Y into engagement with a plurality of knives wheels or sprockets over whlch the chains 6 adapted to cut them into a plurality of parts, extend, and also mounted on this shaft are Another object ofmy invention i t rochaln wheels or sprockets 9 whlch have endid an a a a u utti m hin of novel less fiexible'chains 10 located thereon. 1 construction which is adapted to cut tips of Secured to a shaft 11 which s revolyably 5 thesame length from a plurality of asparasecured W1th1n the legs 1 located Immediately 'st fdiff t l th I to the rear of the extreme front legs, are

vFurther objects and advantages 'more or p 12 Whlch 3 the challls 0- 1 a t ill P e t th m d s ill cated thereon. ,The chains 10 are provided 0 be noin tedout in the descriptio nftfo follow. on then" 1 surfflces h a p u a ity of fn 'th m vih 'df wi s lugs 13 whlch are slightly larger 1n size than Fig is a side plan w ofjan asparagus thelugs of chains 6. The lugs 13 are adapttti m hi e b d i g' i ti ed to engage with the asparagus stems located 130.2 is a top elevation of the same; the QW @1161 Of he h pper {1 and to assist 25 g i an d' Cross Sectional i w f h in posltioning them on the chains 6 between sameand l w 4 the lugs 7 thereof. r v

, d Iidin Secured to the shaft 8 are sprockets havin vinii tilizn oiftli e linb fi o fi l ig. I flexible chains 14 thereon, and evolvabl y f The drawings show two cutting units havmollmted at the front end of h 91 1 f 7 ing the same "construction, each operated by f ys Sprockets which the 1 so A thesamemeans,andboth mounted on frames chams extendh Chums 14 aleaadapted t0 of approximately the same construction and move along the F Q of the pp and dimensions A v I b I p Serve to convey asparagus stems to the lower Refeprifigto the drawings, the numeral 1 end'of the sa1d hopper where they are inter- 5 represents the legs of the supporting frames .i by the g 7 W of chalIlS 6 d S having a" horizontally disposed board 2 fievolvably sulllpolt'ed y 61161 mQmbBIS 6 amounted thereon whichis provided therein Whlch are Secured to and P J ffom'tlle v I I rear le s 1 is a shaft 17 havin sprockets 18 v gig g pan. of longpltudmluy extendmyg attacheil thereto. The bhainsil extend over A 40 f the sprockets 18 and are ada ted to move Theifront legs-Of the Serve 1 within the grooves located in the board 2 s-uppprt Y r of Pulley supportmg m upon actuation of the sprockets. gwhlch have PP 4 sawe there Secured on the shaft 17 andlocated on each PP are dlsposed 1n P l 1 side of the sprockets 18, are wheels 19Which Sltlons at h from Of'the pfi h are providedat their circumferences with a 05 d am adapted to recelve a hy plurality of teeth 20. Attached to the board p ag Stems Which are placed therein 2 are blade supporting members 21" which in crosswise positions. I havea plurality of arcuate cutting blades22 Secured, to revolvable shafts which are secured thereto. .Thecu'tting blades, which 50 mounted on the extreme front end of the supare two in number for each unit, extend down- Wardly- With one of them located between the tWo innermost Wheels 19 and the other of them located outside and adjacent the outermost of the said Wheels 19.

When the chains 6 are beingrnoved With the asparagus stems thereon, the teeth 20 t the Wheels 19 intercept-each asparagus stern as it reaches thewheels and carries it around so the-t the cutting blades 22 may cut it into three parts. Parts of the cut asparagus stems fall beneath the wheels .19, Whileaother parts drop into receptacles 23.

Suitably secured to two ot the rear legs 1 are rearWardly extending supports 25, and revolvably mounted in the saidsnpports-25 1s a shaft 26 which has a driv ng pulley secureclthereon; The driving pull-eyisconnectedwvith a; source of power suchias a mo- #011135; asuitablebelt whichentendsoyer -n1e' 'sanije,. Securedf on the opposite end on the shaft. .26 "i a gear 28 "which meshes with larger-" ear 29 located above ,theragliie-r 'lghe' gear; 29 issecured to revoly iiblejshaitf30 which i is supfported ithin Supporting: In i "bjers 31 that are attached totwo .of the rear Secured on the shaft is a oiver V which: an end-less chain 32 .extends antise- 7 chain "32, serves to transfer power troiii vthe cured tofthe shaft 1? is a Ivsimilan sprocket having the said chain entendingjoverit. V The withthe said bevel gear.

operatingthe various chains and heels Fused in conveying, the asparagus stems 1- from the hoppers to the .cuftting, blades.

j:researches; shaft 301s. alarge gen: 33

' haying teeth "thencon which mesh-{with the teethfoftja Vsm'all bevel-gear 34.; The. bevel gear; is; s'eci'n edj to ,a' shaft, which, rerolv-ahly exte ds; through a ho izontally, ex e ing support 35; and affixed to the said-shaft is crank disk36 which is adapted. to reyolve P'yoted' ccentrically to thewheel 36 is a downwardly extending rod'j37, thesaidfrod being pivotally connected at its lower end to one end of a bellcrank 38.. Ilhe bell crank 38 is pi'votallysupportedon a horizontally extending supporting 1nembe-r39 through a ninrorboltasindicated, J i

I The opposite end ofthe.bellcrank:38is pivotallyiconnected by ,aipin toa horizontally ex- :tending rod 40,.the ends of Which are pivotally connected to the upper sari-aces of horizontally disposed crank disks 41 at points near the circumferential edge thereof. I i i The disks 41 whicharepivotally mounted on the board 2 have-angle irons 42pivotally attachedthereto at points off center by suitable pinspand the said angle irons are secured to guide members 43 which are disposed in a vertical position adjacent the inside :run's'ot chains 6. The rear ends of the guide members ,43- ar'e supported for, slidable motionby the supporting nienibers2l While opposite ends are movably supported by upright rods 44 Which are swingingly' attached to the said guide members by suitable pins and to'a top 7 frame member 45 through outwardly extending supports 46. Y V ,l I

The tront portions of the guide'rnembers arelp ositioned farther away frornthe inside runsotchains 6 than are the rear portions thereby enabling the tips of-theiasparagus stems to be properly aligned beforertheyr 'fiIGsCODYQYQClnbY.the ,chainso to the cutting blades 22.

The guide" members 43 are moved back.-- vardly andforwarclly for the purpose of movingthe asparagus stems into proper po-' sitions, through bevel gear '34, Whichirotates rtheficlfalik .dislise, thereby n ovingfthe said I 37, thefbell'crank 38, the rod 40 and thecranl; ,dislrslr The top frame member 5 is supported above the boards 2 by two of the rear legs and by tWororightmenibers .47 which; are located at the mom end thereof. Revolvably rtedijby the' rear legs 1' and theupriglit guide membersthroughthe action oi the rod ,nieinbersflfl are three shaft ls as -at 48"having each asprocketor ohainwheeinas at 49=secured thereto, A rouruisp'mcka 5 0 is secured to 30 and an endless chain 51 eX- tends over thesprockets 49 and and across r th op. m mbe i aLtbei a d c i f n adapted to convey-a box of, asparagus stems irom the frontendof', the 'toprnember tojthe rear end thereota'nd is arranged with-a gind -r ingchannel'or ways oasshown in Figs 2and' 3 to keepsuchb'oXesinplace on thechain, a

box being dotted? in position in Fig.- 3.

placedin either 'h opper4 Withthe pointing inward, or so asto in} positioniortlie guide;members. 43 tooperate; against -theextreme ends of the tips,"

The asparagus as placed the hoppers is o'fvarying lengths and it is essential forv fcaiining 'purpo'ses"that the stalks" be cut a" definite length measured from the extreme .I

tip 'of each piece for the table pack while another headless section is cut from thestalk below the @ta-blesection to serve forsoup'inak ingandthe like, Y Knives '22,- are spaced to tioned as shownso as to lre'epthe tipsand the intermediate cuts separated, while the ,useless butts willfall away fromthe outermost knife blade before i eaehing' thereceptaele .i v

7 ent the stalks as" described and the receptacles 23 are nection to crank disks 41, and oscillating chains 6 the slanting guides or tip aligning devices43 begin to operate against the sex-- creme tips of the grass by a gentle striking action combined with a longitudinal motion in direction of the travel of the grass. The peculiar motion of the tip aligning guides or boards 43 is the result of their swinging suspension at one end, sliding support at the other end, and position of their pivotal conmovement of these disks through means of the crank disk drive 36.

By study of Fig. 2 it will be seen that as the conveyor chains travel toward the knives the aligning guides e w'ill intermittently travel with the chains and also toward them upon one direction of oscillation of disks i1 chain travel.

and upon reverse direction will travel'away from the chains in reversedirection to the This results in a gentle intermittent tapping against the extreine til'is' of the grass to force their tips all to alignment, and since the aligning devices while tapping the grass tips also travel with them each time they are tapped it prevents bruising the delicate points of thetendergrass, a very. important feature since any injury to the tips would greatly lower their quality rating in the market.

The machine is relatively long, and the reversely traveling conveyor chain 51 arovvide's for returning boxes. of grass from the cutting end of the machine in cases where the cannery layout requires.

Having described my invention, what I claim is: V v r r I 1;. An asparagus cutting'machine comprising, a plurality of stationary cutting blades,

a plurality of endless chains arranged for conveying asparagus stems toward the blades, means'for aligning the tips of the asparagus stems as the asparagus stems are being con- "veyed towardthe cutting blades comprising a guide arranged adjacent the path o-ftravel of the asparagus and mounted for movement toward and from the same, means forintermittently so moving said guide to strike the extreme ends of the asparagus, and means for lifting'the asparagus stems from the chains and bringing them into contact with the blades. y

1 2. In a machine of the character described, a traveling conveyor arranged to convey asparagus stems with tips extending trans versely of the conveyor, and means actuated simultaneously with the conveyor arranged and adapted to intermittently strike the extreme points of the asparagus and align the tips thereof, and means for cutting off said stems with tips aligned. I

3. In a machine of the character described, a traveling conveyor arranged to convey as- V paragus stems with tips extending transversely of the conveyor, and aligning means actu ated simultaneously with the conveyor arranged and adapted to intermittently strike the extreme pointsof the asparagus and align the tips thereof, and means for cutting off said stems with tips aligned, said aligning means being mounted and actuated to intermittently travel in direction of the conveyor travel during its intermittent striking movement.

4. In a machine of the character described, a traveling conveyor arranged and adapted to convey asparagus stems with tips extending transversely of the conveyor, a tip aligning guide extending along the conveyor in a slanting manner so as to force the ends of the tips toward alignment, means for oscillating said guide against the ends of the tips while the conveyor is in motion for aligning the tips of the asparagus on the conveyor,

and means at the end of the conveyor for cutting off the asparagus stems with tips aligned.

5. In a'machine of the character described, an endless chain conveyor passing over wheels at both ends and the conveyor arranged to support and convey asparagus stems lying transversely thereon in spaced relation, teeth rotating concentrically with the chain wheel veyor arranged to support and convey asparagus stems lying transversely thereon in spaced relation, teeth rotating concentrically with the chainwheel at the delivery end of the conveyor arranged to pass between the conveyor chains and lift the asparagus stems therefrom with the stems lying between the teeth, said teeth spaced in conformity with the spacing of the asparagus stems, and a knife against which the asparagus is carried by said teeth.

LOUIS D. STOPPEL. 

